Alliances
by Doelight
Summary: Heather, Grass, Flame, and Flash are from two different clans. When tragedy strikes, they must come together, along with a loner, to discover their powers and defeat a rising evil. But will it be too late for their clans?
1. Allegiances

Flowerclan:

Leader:

Blossom - Light tabby she-cat with amber eyes, and white tail-tip

Deputy:

Thorn - Dark brown tom with green eyes

Healer:

Moss - Light grey she-cat with ice-blue eyes and white underside

Warriors:

Leaf - Brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Pine - Black tom with green eyes

Cloud - Grey tom with blue eyes

Bear - Big brown tom with orange eyes

Dawn - Orange she-cat with blue eyes and white paws

Swift - Black and white tom with orange eyes

Fern - Grey she-cat with green eyes

Dust - Brown tabby tom with black paws, and yellow eyes

Grey - Grey tom with yellow eyes

Mouse - Small brown she-cat with orange eyes

Alder - Orange she-cat with blue eyes

Seed - White she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentices:

Swoop - Dark grey she-cat with blue eyes

Mothers:

Daisy - Cream she-cat with green eyes

Mother to: Heather - Light brown she-cat with amber eyes

Grass - Brown tom with a white circle around one eye

Bramble - Brown she-cat with white ears

Mother to: River - Grey tom with green eyes

Tiger - Orange tom with amber eyes and black stripes

Hawkclan:

Leader:

Falcon - Big brown and white tom with amber eyes

Deputy:

Ocean - Blue-grey she-cat with blue eyes

Healer:

Dream - White she-cat with black ears and amber eyes - Blind

Warriors:

Fang - Black she-cat with white chest and green eyes

Berry - Cream tom with blue eyes and black muzzle

Bird - Light grey she-cat with blue eyes and black ears

Creek - Light brown tabby tom with green eyes

Blaze - Orange tom with green eyes

Branch - Dark brown tom with lighter brown patches, green eyes

Breeze - Black tom with yellow eyes

Briar - Dark brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Brook - Grey she-cat with amber eyes

Claw - Sand-colored tom with blue eyes

Dappled - Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Dusk - Dusty brown tom with yellow eyes

Apprentices:

Sand - Sand-colored tom with green eyes

Mothers:

Feather - Blue-grey she-cat with blue eyes and white paws

Mother to: Flame - Orange she-cat with white ears and blue eyes

Flash - Grey tom with blue eyes

Fox - Red she-cat with black tail-tip and brown eyes

Mother to: Wolf - Dark grey she-cat with lighter grey underside

Reed - Black she-cat with white paws and green eyes

Loners / Rogues / Kittypets:

Flight - Loner - Light grey she-cat with white spots, blue eyes

Hawk - Rogue - Black tom with red eyes

Fish - Loner - Tabby tom

Flower - Kittypet - Yellow she-cat with green eyes

Frost - Rogue - White tom with ice blue eyes

Sparky - Kittypet - Yellow and white tom with orange eyes


	2. Prologue

**Flowerclan:**

Leader:

Blossom - Light tabby she-cat with amber eyes, and white tail-tip

Deputy:

Thorn - Dark brown tom with green eyes

Healer:

Moss - Light grey she-cat with ice-blue eyes and white underside

Warriors:

Leaf - Brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Pine - Black tom with green eyes

Cloud - Grey tom with blue eyes

Bear - Big brown tom with orange eyes

Dawn - Orange she-cat with blue eyes and white paws

Swift - Black and white tom with orange eyes

Fern - Grey she-cat with green eyes

Dust - Brown tabby tom with black paws, and yellow eyes

Grey - Grey tom with yellow eyes

Mouse - Small brown she-cat with orange eyes

Alder - Orange she-cat with blue eyes

Seed - White she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentices:

Swoop - Dark grey she-cat with blue eyes

Mothers:

Daisy - Cream she-cat with green eyes

Mother to: Heather - Tan she-cat with amber eyes

Grass - Brown tom with a white circle around one eye

Bramble - Brown she-cat with white ears

Mother to: River - Grey tom with green eyes

Tiger - Orange tom with amber eyes and black stripes

 **Hawkclan:**

Leader:

Falcon - Big brown and white tom with amber eyes

Deputy:

Ocean - Blue-grey she-cat with blue eyes

Healer:

Dream - White she-cat with black ears and amber eyes - Blind

Warriors:

Fang - Black she-cat with white chest and green eyes

Berry - Cream tom with blue eyes and black muzzle

Bird - Light grey she-cat with blue eyes and black ears

Creek - Light brown tabby tom with green eyes

Blaze - Orange tom with green eyes

Branch - Dark brown tom with lighter brown patches, green eyes

Breeze - Black tom with yellow eyes

Briar - Dark brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Brook - Grey she-cat with amber eyes

Claw - Sand-colored tom with blue eyes

Dappled - Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Dusk - Dusty brown tom with yellow eyes

Apprentices:

Sand - Sand-colored tom with green eyes

Mothers:

Feather - Blue-grey she-cat with blue eyes and white paws

Mother to: Flame - Orange she-cat with white ears and blue eyes

Flash - Grey tom with blue eyes

Fox - Red she-cat with black tail-tip and brown eyes

Mother to: Wolf - Dark grey she-cat with lighter grey underside

Reed - Black she-cat with white paws and green eyes

 **Loners / Rogues / Kittypets:**

Flight - Loner - Light grey she-cat with white spots, blue eyes

Hawk - Rogue - Black tom with red eyes

Fish - Loner - Tabby tom

Flower - Kittypet - Yellow she-cat with green eyes

Frost - Rogue - White tom with ice blue eyes

Sparky - Kittypet - Yellow and white tom with orange eyes


	3. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

"Come on Flame! Wake up!" A paw prodded Flame's side. "Momma says I can't go outside till you open yours eyes."

"Flash, leave your sister alone. She'll open her eyes when she's ready."

"But Momma…Momma! Momma! She's doing it!"

Flame blinked open her eyes. A grey face with blue eyes stared right at her. "Eep!" She squeaked, jerking her head up.

"You're awake!" Flash purred, jumping up and down. "Finally!" Flame looked around. She was lying in a warm nest, with her brother right in front of her.

"Hello my poppet." A blue-grey she-cat with blue eyes and white paws laid her tail across the kit's back.

"Are you my mother?" Flame asked, peering up at her. The blue-grey cat purred. "Yes, my name is Feather." "Can we go outside now?" Flash pleaded, tugging on Flame's tail. "Fine. But stay in camp, and don't get in trouble!" Feather called after them, as Flash had ran outside, pulling Flame along with him.

Outside, the camp was bustling with activity. A couple of cats were grouped together, discussing something. At the far end of the camp, a large rock jutted out. Under it, two dens stood, one on each side. A white cat with black ears emerged from one, a bundle of herbs in her jaws. Her gaze flicked over to the two kits. "That's Dream, she's the healer." Flash mewed to Flame. "She is also blind." Flame gazed back at the healer. Dream blinked, and carried her bundle of herbs to a cave under the rock. "That's Falcon's den. He's the leader. The den next to the rock that isn't Dream's is Ocean's, she's the deputy. She isn't around sometimes, but you know. She's probably doing deputy-stuff." He added proudly, puffing out his chest.

"How do you know all this?" Flame asked, awestruck. Her brother glances around to make sure no one was listening before leaning over to her. "I found a way out of the Nursery."

She looked at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, I snuck out a lot." He grinned. "Come on, let's go meet some cats."

Flame was exhausted, they spent the day going around camp, meeting her clan mates, and learning every secret nook and cranny within the walls of the camp. She laid her head down and went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

Heather breathed in the scents of the early dawn. Her brother, Grass, had opened his eyes finally not too long ago, so their mother, Daisy, had allowed them outside the Nursery. Heather loved watching the sun rise, and the birds chirping to one another. She closed her eyes, feeling calm.

"Watch out!" A cry came behind her. Heather snapped open her eyes, and whirled around to see Bramble's kits, River and Tiger, crashing toward her. She leaped out of the way, and they rolled past her, wrestling in the clearing.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" She called out. The two kits were much bigger than her and Grass, with a couple moons left before they became apprentices. She shook her head and sighed. Grass often teased her about her acting so mature. She had to admit, she sometimes felt like she was as mature as Blossom, the clan's leader. Heather looked up to her. She was so brave, pretty, not to mention caring.

"Oof!" As she was lost in her thoughts, Grass had ran straight into her from behind. She yelped and was pushed down. "Hah hah! Evil cat, I have caught you!" Grass meowed triumphantly.

"Get off!" Heather snapped, rising up on her hind legs. Grass slid off.

"Aw...Sis, c'mon…."

She sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll play one round."

Grass perked up. "Yay! You be the invader, and I'll save the group!"

Heather dipped her head, then padded off near the center of the clearing. "Ready!" She called to her brother. Around her, the camp was becoming more alive as cats woke up. At the far end, a large tree stood. One of the higher branches was where Blossom stood when she called meetings. At the base, a hole was placed in the trunk, roots making a wind-breaker. That was where Blossom made her nest. Next to it was two rocks, pushed together at an angle, making Moss's den in between. Next to the Nursery was the apprentice's den, then the warrior's. Thorn, the deputy, slept with the warrior's. She smiled. It was nice in camp, the sun warming her pelt. In the middle of the clearing, a few pieces of prey were laid. The hunting patrols hadn't been sent out yet, so there wasn't much prey.

"Gotcha!" Grass yowled, leaping on top of her.

"Eep!" She yelped, rolling over. "Grass! You scared me!"

"It's not my fault, you have your head in the clouds! You were gazing around camp, not focused on attacking, so I took the chance to capture you!" He huffed. "You're no fun to play with, you're always daydreaming. I'm going to play with River and Tiger." With that, he went off toward the older kits. Heather looked after him, crestfallen. She couldn't help being so distracted! There was so much to see! Like how the leaves moved ever so gracefully when the wind blew them a certain way! Or the smell of fresh dew on the grass! Or….She shook her head. "You're doing it again!" She hissed to herself. She sighed, then went back into the Nursery.

Heather opened her eyes, and found herself in a valley. She looked around, surprised. 'Where was she? This had to be a dream,' She thought. It was the only logical explanation. Suddenly, a burst of light filled the sky. She squinted against the brightness of the light, and when it had dispersed, she could make out six cats on the hilltop. One had a white glow around her, the one next to her had an orange glow around her, next to that cat was one with a blue glow around him, the one next to him had a green glow around him, and the one next to him had a light blue glow around her. Heather felt drawn to the one with a light blue glow. But beside her, there was a cat with black smoke around him. She shivered when she saw him. The kit suddenly became aware of presences next to her. She looked to her left, and saw three other cats. She couldn't make out their markings, but she could tell the closest one to her was a tom, and from her group, the one next to him was another tom with Hawkclan's scent on him, and the cat next to him was a she-cat, and from Hawkclan as well. She widened her eyes, and with a flash of light, she woke up again, this time in the real world.


	5. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

Flame woke up with a start, she blinked her eyes and looked around. She was in the Nursery, not in a valley. She must've been dreaming. Beside her, her brother, Flash, was waking up, blinking his eyes open. 'Who were those cats?' She thought, flexing her claws. Flash pushed her playfully.

"Hey there! Sleep well?" He asked, rubbing against her.

"Yes. Did you?" She looked at him.

"Yeah, though I did have this dream…" He murmured, still half-asleep.

Flame pushed him playfully. "Let's see if we can go outside again!" She went to Feather, and nudged her.

"What is it sweetheart?" She asked blearily.

"Can me and Flash go outside again?" She pleaded.

"Yes, but remember the rules."

"Yay! C'mon Flash, we can go!" She sprinted outside, her brother behind her. "Woah!" Flame skidded to a halt, bumping into Sand. The apprentice looked down in surprise.

"Flame! Flash! You two are up early." She meowed, looking at the pair.

"We wanted to explore again!" Flash mewed, puffing his chest out.

Sand purred. "Well, that's good to hear. I'm just waiting for Breeze, then we'll go on dawn patrol." She yawned. "It's terrible getting up this early. Well, see you around." She headed off.

Flash shrugged looking after her. "So, what should we do?"

"How about we see Dream?" Flame asked, flicking her tail toward the healer's den.

"Uh….okay?" Flash meowed reluctantly, looking at the den.

"Great! C'mon." Flame bounded toward the den, Flash following her, but at a slower pace. Once both kits were inside, Flame gazed around. "Woah! This place is awesome!" She ran over to a pile of leaves and sniffed them. "I wonder what they taste like…." She leaned forward to bite into one. A paw knocked her aside. She skidded across the den, and looked at her attacker. "Hey!"

"For your information, they are chickweed. Used for greencough, but catmint is preferred." The cat meowed, bending down to sniff them. Dream, once satisfied, turned her cloudy amber eyes toward Flame and Flash. "Why are you two in here? Didn't your mother tell you not to get in trouble?"

"How'd you know that?" Flash meowed, his eyes wide.

Dream glanced toward him. "Every mother wants her kits to stay out of trouble. Speaking of your mother, is she well? I haven't been by to check on her."

Flame nodded, getting up. "She's fine! Why do you ask?"  
Dream looked away. "I'm a healer. It's my duty to make sure the cats are well."

"Okay then!" Flame meowed cheerfully, smiling. She turned to Flash. "Hey, you said before that you had a weird dream last night, right?"

Flash scuffled his paws uncomfortably. "Yeah, so?"

"What was it about?"

He looked into her eyes. "I was in a valley, and there was a flash of lightning, and when it dispersed, there were six cats on the hilltop. One had a white glow, one an orange, one a blue, one a green, one a light blue, and the last one had black smoke around him. I felt a presence beside me, so I looked, and saw three other cats, two she-cats, one tom. One of the she-cats had Hawkclan's scent, the other two had Flowerclan's scent. There was another flash of lightning, and then I woke up."

Flame stared at him. "That's exactly what I dreamed too! Except, there were two toms, and one she-cat, the she-cat and a tom had Flowerclan's scent on them, and the other tom had Hawkclan's scent on him. But other than that, it was the exact same! That's sooooo cool! What do you think it meant?" She asked excitedly, bouncing up and down.

Flash looked baffled. "I-I don't know! Maybe we should te-" He stopped abruptly, looking at Dream. She was staring at the kits, her eyes wide, and ears flattened. "W-What?" Flash asked, crouching down.

Dream lowered her head, and turned her blind gaze away. "There was a prophecy…" She sighed. "On the night before you were born, me and Moss, she's the healer in Flowerclan, were meeting. During the meeting, we both received a prophecy. Six cats, each with a power unlike anything ever seen, destined for greatness." She looked at the kits steadily. Flash widened his eyes more, and backed up.

"Wait, wait, what?" Flame meowed, jumping over a pile of berries. "So you're telling us that you think we are a part of the prophecy?"

Dream dipped her head. "Yes."

 _Meanwhile… Heather and Grass are having a similar experience with Moss. Heather is afraid, and shocked about carrying such a responsibility, but Grass is more calm, accepting it as his destiny, and could not change it. Secretly, he is excited to find his power._

Flash flattened his ears, looking at the ground. "But...but why us?"

Dream sighed, sitting down. "Destiny works in confusing ways. Don't let this destroy you, though. Work past it, and become the best you can."

Flame looked around. "Can we tell other cats?"

Dream shook her head. "No. You may not. Trust your instincts. Now, go away."

Flash darted out of the den. Flame padded after her brother.


	6. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

Heather was lying down in the sun, her paws over her ears. A million thoughts were zipping through her head. She drew her paws over her eyes and whimpered. A paw poked her on the side. She lifted a paw to see Blossom looking at her with concern.

"Heather, is something wrong?" The group's leader asked, tipping her head and watching her.

Heather sighed. "I just…..I'm just tired…."

Blossom narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, but nodded. "Alright. But you can tell me if something's wrong." She flicked her tail, then padded away.

Heather watched her go, then sighed again, putting her paws on the ground. Thorn walked into camp, returning with Dawn and Swift from a hunting patrol. Each cat managed to catch three pieces of prey, and they added the contribution to the growing prey pile. Thorn looked around the camp, and sat down to wash himself.

"Boo!" River jumped on her back.

"Ouf!" Heather cried out. "River…..you're…..squishing….me…."

"Heh heh." River snickered playfully, getting off. "So, what's up with you?"

She pushed herself up. "Not you anymore, thankfully." She grumbled, flattening her fur.

River snorted. "Hah! Good one. Got to remember that one." He stretched. Heather found herself staring, and quickly looked away. "So…. Is anything else up?"

Heather shook her head. "I just want to be alone right now."

River tipped his head. "Alright.. But you can tell me if something's wrong." He went off toward his brother, stalking him as if he was a mouse.

Grass padded up behind her. "Hey."

Heather glanced over. "Hey… I don't get how you're so calm about this! We find something out that changes our lives for the rest of time, and you're so calm! How do you do it?!"

Her brother shrugged. "It's our destiny. We can't change it, might as well accept it."

Heather was going to respond when the branches to the camp entrance rustled. She turned her head toward them in time to spot a black tom with green eyes padding into camp. Her ears and tail pricked up, excited. "Hey Grass! Look, it's Pine! Let's go say hi to him!" She jumped up and ran over to him. Grass followed his sister, keeping his gaze on the ground. "Hi Pine!" Heather mewed, standing on her back legs, trying to nuzzle his cheek.

Pine looked down. "Oh, hello there Heather! How's my she-kit doing today?"

Heather purred. "Great!"

Grass cleared his throat. "Ahem."

Pine glanced over. "Oh. And hello to Grass too, I suppose." Pine then re-focused his attention to his daughter. "So, have you been practicing your battle moves?"

Heather nodded. "Watch this!" She turned to a leaf, and crouched, watching it with narrowed eyes. Suddenly she pounced, landing squarely on top of the leaf. She turned back to her father, triumphant.

Pine shook his head. "That was a hunting move, not a fighting move. But, good work!"

Grass flattened his ears. "I-I can do that too!" He focused on a leaf, then pounced on it, also tearing it up with his claws. "See?"

Pine rolled his eyes. "You would have just destroyed a perfectly good piece of prey. What good would that be?"

Grass looked down, his tail drooping. Heather didn't notice, busy gnawing a stick.

Daisy walked out of the Nursery. She scanned the camp, resting her gaze on her kits. She walked over. "Hello Grass, Heather, and…. Oh. Hello Pine." She spoke her mate's name icely.

Pine gazed at her with calm eyes. "Daisy."

Daisy narrowed her eyes. "Kits, go back to the Nursery. Me and your father have to talk about something."

"Okay!" Heather meowed cheerfully, getting up and following Grass to the Nursery. Grass stopped just as they were about to enter the Nursery. He glanced around, then ran over to the apprentice's den, hiding in the leaves. Heather tipped her head, but followed him. "What are we doing here?" She whispered.

Grass just nodded toward Daisy and Pine. "I want to hear this."

"Why are you so unfair to Grass?" Daisy spat at Pine.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Oh Starclan. This argument _again_. I've told you, I never wanted a son! Since I have one, my solution is to not accept him. Simple."

Daisy arched her back. "Want him or not, he is your son! He doesn't deserve to be treated like you treat him! And if you can't treat him as he should be, then maybe you shouldn't be his father."

Pine looked taken aback. "What...what do you mean?"

She looked down. "I'm not going to be your mate anymore."

Pine flattened his ears, and took a step back. His expression quickly changed from shock to anger. "FINE!" He spat. "Fine! From this point on, we are not mates! Grass is not my son, and Heather is not my daughter! I don't care about them, nor you!" With that he snarled, turned, and walked off, seething with anger.

Heather turned her shocked gaze to her brother. He was equally shocked, staring at her. "W-We should go b-back to the Nursery….." She stammered, forcing herself to move.

She and her brother quickly trudged back to the Nursery, and laid down. Daisy came in a few moments later. She gave her kits a tired smile, and curled up around them. The family went to sleep.


	7. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

Flame awoke to a low moan echoing throughout the camp. She got up, stretching her legs, and yawning. She then turned and shook her brother awake. Once Flash was up, the littermates walked into the camp to see what was going on. When Flame saw what the cause of the moaning was, she stopped short. In the middle of the clearing, a light grey she-cat with black ears was lying in a pool of blood. "Bird!" She yowled, racing over. Branch intercepted the kit, shoving her away.

"No. Stay away." He growled, lowering his face into hers.

"But….But…" She tried to see around him.

"NO! If you want to be helpful, you can take everyone in the Nursery and go into the forest." Branch snapped at her, his fur bristling.

Flash looked back toward the Nursery, and after a moment's hesitation, sped toward it. He came back shortly with Feather, Fox, Wolf, and Reed in tow. Flame glared at Branch before following the group from the Nursery into the forest.

"Stupid Branch. Couldn't even let me see my own clanmate." She growled softly, her tail lashing. They stayed a safe distance to the camp, so that they could run back in if needed. Flame sat down with a huff. "It's not fair!" She wailed. "Every other cat gets to see Bird, but no! Not the kits!"

Flash sat beside her. "Hey, c'mon. You don't want to see her gross body, do you?"  
Flame glanced over. "I guess not…."

Wolf and Reed padded over. "What'cha talkin 'bout?" Wolf asked, sitting down.

"Bird. She's in the clearing, dead. Branch forced us to go out in the forest."

"Wow. Wonder what killed her." Reed meowed, her tail curled curiously.

"Whatever it was, it can't have been an easy fight for it. Bird was one of the best fighters!" Wolf meowed, looking over at her sister.

Fox and Daisy were laying down in the sun, relaxing, when the entrance to the camp rustled. The kits looked over, and hid in the bushes. Ocean padded out, glancing over at the queens before padding off to the forest.

"Oooo! I know! We should see where she's going!" Reed meowed quietly.

Flame perked up. "That is a great idea! Let's go!"

"We have to be quiet, or we'll get caught." Wolf whispered, leading the way.

The group padded silently after her, all four being careful to avoid things that might give away their position. Finally, Wolf held her tail up, a sign to stop. She angled her ears forward, and the others spread out beside her, listening.

"Everything went according to plan. Bird is dead." Ocean meowed.

"Good. And does anyone else know about this plan?" An unknown tom's voice responded.

"No sir. We are in complete secrecy." Ocean replied, a hint of pride in her voice.

Reed looked over, shock in her gaze.

"Excellent. Our next target is Leaf. She is a senior warrior of Flowerclan. I want her dead by half-moon. Report back to me then." The kits heard a rustling of bushes, and Flame saw the tom go away.

Ocean looked around, then headed back to camp.

"Half-moon is in two days!" Flash whisper-shouted. "We need to tell Falcon!"

"I agree, c'mon!" Flame replied, before taking off into the woods.

The kits race after her, speeding through the forest as fast as their little legs would let them. Finally, they skidded to a halt in the camp. Bird was having a vigil, with cats sitting around her. Creek, Berry, Fang, and Sand were closest, their eyes wet with tears. Creek and Berry were her brothers, Fang was her mother, and Sand was her kit. Flame looked around. She spotted Falcon sitting off to the side, watching the vigil. She scampered over to him. "Falcon! Falcon!"

The leader looked over. "Oh, hello Flame, Flash, Reed, and Wolf. Where are your m-"

"No time! Listen, we followed Ocean out to the forest, and heard her talking to a rouge. She killed Bird, Falcon. She killed Bird! And she's going to kill Leaf next!"

Falcon blinked, surprise in his eyes. Then his expression hardened. "Are you saying my deputy is a murderer?" He snarled. "I'll have you know, she's one of the few cats of whom I trust completely. She would never kill for no good reason! Now, go to the Nursery."

"But-"  
"NOW!" He snapped, his neck fur bristling.

Flame lowered her head and tail in fright. "O-okay…"

She and the rest of the kits scuttled to the Nursery.

"Well that didn't go so well." Flash meowed as they went into the Nursery.

"Ergh! Why won't he listen to us?" Wolf growled, pacing.

"Maybe we should try again later…" Reed meowed, sitting down.

"We don't have the time! We need to act now!" Flame shot back.

"It's because we're kits, isn't it?"

"He's probably still a bit shaken up."

"Who knows what will happen while we wait?"

"Just because we're kits doesn't mean we're dumb!"

"Bird is his distant kin…."

"I'll take her down myself!"

"GUYS! SHUT UP!" Flash yowled suddenly.

The kits stopped arguing immediately.

"We should just step back, and let the others handle this. If Ocean is really a murderer, then at least Falcon had a warning. If Leaf dies, then he'll know something's up."

"But if we act now, she can be saved!" Flame protested. Reed and Wolf looked at one another and nodded, agreeing with Flame's statement.

"If we act now, we can get killed." Flash growled back, flattening his ears.

"Let's vote. All in favor of acting, raise your tail." Reed meowed.

Flame raised her tail high and proud.

"Alright. All in favor of staying low, raise your tail." Reed, Wolf, and Flash raised their tails.

"Well, it's settled." Wolf meowed, padding over to her nest.


	8. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

Heather woke up with a start. She looked around frantically, then realized she was safe in the Nursery. She flattened her spiked fur, and set her head on her paws. She tried to remember what her nightmare had been about, but all she seemed to recall was the battle yowl. She sighed, and glanced over at her brother. He was sound asleep. A leaf floated down and landed on his head. Grass only flicked an ear. Heather gave a small smile, and stood up, stretching. She padded out into the clearing. Suddenly, her vision turned black, and she was in a battlefield. Cats lay dead around her. She looked in horror as a black tom slashed at Blossom, and Falcon. She was able to make out his red eyes before the vision ended, and she was back in the clearing, feeling shocked and shaken. The kit looked around, then dashed to Moss's den. "Moss! Moss! Where are you?!"

The light grey she-cat lifted her head. "Heather? What's going on?"

Heather pricked her ears and looked over. "There you are! Listen, I have to tell you this." She described her vision to Moss.

Moss sat up. "I fear a great evil is coming. You did a good thing to tell me."

"What are you going to do?" Heather asked, seeing she was getting up.

"I'm going to tell Blossom. If your vision is to come true, then we will need to band together with Hawkclan."

Heather blinked. 'What? I can't take this! What if it doesn't come true?' She became swamped in her own doubtful thoughts, drowning in them.

Moss looked over. "Hey. It'll be fine, trust me."

Heather looked over. "R-Really?" Her legs were shaking.

"Yes, really. Calm down. Go back to the Nursery. Our camp is the larger of the two, so Hawkclan will be coming here. If it makes you feel better, I'll say that I had the vision. Okay?"

Heather nodded. "O-Okay…" She backed out of the den, and made her way to the entrance of the camp. She decided to just let her paws take her wherever. Soon, she realized that she was at the border of Flowerclan's territory. She looked around, wondering why her paws brought her here, of all places. Suddenly, the bushes rustled. Heather dove for cover, peering out from behind a tree. A mouse darted out from the bushes, pursued closely by Leaf. The brown she-cat pounced, and caught the mouse, bending down and swiftly snapping it's neck. She purred in satisfaction.

"What are you doing on our side of the border?" A blue-grey she-cat stepped out from behind some trees next to Leaf. Heather recognized her as Ocean, Hawkclan's deputy.

Leaf jumped, her fur fluffing up. "Wha- oh. I didn't mean to cross the border, I'm sorry."

Ocean snorted, holding her tail up. "As if. You clearly knew what you were doing."

Leaf looked a little stunned. "What? No, I promise, I didn't me-" She was abruptly cut off, as Ocean darted toward her, slicing her neck with her claws. Leaf fell to the ground with a thud, her yellow eyes still open, portraying shock.

Heather flattened her ears, and widened her eyes with shock as well, her body shaking.

Ocean flicked her tail, and licked her paw, before turning around and walking off.

"No….no….no no no no no!" Heather stammered, backing away in horror. She turned and sprinted off, fast as the wind, Leaf's face as she hit the ground replaying over and over in her head. She burst into camp, and ignoring all the surprised faces, dashed into the Nursery. "Leaf's dead!" She shouted, tears streaming down her face.

Daisy looked up in surprise. "Heather? What are you saying?"  
"Leaf's dead! I saw her die!" The kit repeated, shaking.

Daisy got up and went over, wrapping her tail around her kit. "Shh. Shh. Calm down. It's okay. Now, are you telling the truth?"

Heather nodded. "Yes...I went to the border, Leaf caught a mouse, Ocean came out, and she killed her. She killed her, Momma!"

Tears began to form in Daisy's eyes. She knew it wasn't possible to convey this much emotion in a lie. Leaf, Cloud, and Bear were also her kits, the father Pine. She rested her head lightly on Heather's murmuring comfort.

Grass woke up. "What's going on?" He meowed sleepily. Daisy quietly told him.

There was a commotion at the camp's entrance. A border patrol had gone out, and found Leaf's body. The patrol brought her back to camp. Blossom emerged from her den, shortly followed by Moss. She looked at Leaf's body, and her fur bristled. She leapt to the top branch of the large tree, and called for a clan meeting. Heather, Grass, and Daisy padded out to hear.

"I'm sure many of you know by now, but if you do not, Leaf is dead. She was found by a border patrol. We are uncertain as to who or what killed her, but we must carry on. She will have a vigil tonight. Also, Moss has had a vision. She believes that it insists that we join together with Hawkclan. Tomorrow, Thorn will assemble a patrol to go over to Hawkclan and tell them of this request. Hawkclan will be coming here, so in the meantime we should make our dens larger, to accommodate the large amount of cats that will be staying here. That is all."

Daisy ushered the kits back into the Nursery. "Alright, you two. Play with River and Tiger, okay?"

Heather looked over to the older kits. "Okay…."

River bounded over. "Hey! Whasup?"

Tiger followed. "It's 'what's up', not 'whasup'."

River turned to his brother. "Wanna go?"

Tiger grinned, and crouched. "Any time."


	9. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

"C'mon you two. Don't keep the entire clan waiting." Feather meowed, turning her head to look at Flame and Flash.

"Coming!" Flame called, picking up her pace. Yesterday Thorn, Moss, and Bear from Flowerclan had came to Hawkclan with a request to join forces to protect the cats. Falcon had been reluctant at first, but in the end he agreed. Today the entire clan was moving over to Flowerclan's camp. Feather had told them that once, not too long ago, there was only one clan, Leafclan. The clan split up, and the two clans became Hawkclan and Flowerclan. Because of this, a lot of the cats had kin in the other clan. Apparently, Falcon and Blossom were mates, along with Thorn and Ocean. Feather was Daisy's sister, and Bramble was Fox's. There was a whole lot of other relationships that Flame couldn't remember, but that was alright. Feather told the kits that there were kits about their age in Flowerclan, so they could make friends. Flame smiled. She loved the idea of the two clans coming together.

"We're here!" Fox called out.

Flame looked up, her eyes wide. In front of them stood a barrier of thorn bushes. She watched as one by one the cats squeezed through an opening. Flame kneaded her paws, impatient. Finally, she couldn't take it any more.

"Flame, wait!" Flash called out.

She ignored him and darted up to the barrier, and pushed through it. She tumbled out into the other side, thorns sticking out of her fur everywhere.

"Oowww…" She groaned, and set to work taking them out. Flash came through the entrance moments later, and went over to his sister.

"Flame, I told you to wait!" He meowed, worry in his voice.

Flame huffed.

Flash sighed, and sat down, helping her get the thorns out.

"Um….h-hello?"

Flame tugged the last thorn out, and looked up, annoyed.

A light brown kit with amber eyes looked at her curiously. Next to her was a brown kit with green eyes and a white circle around one of his eyes.

"Hello?" Flame meowed, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Are you two from Hawkclan?" The tom asked, his tail curling.

"Yes. I'm Flash, and this is my sister Flame. Who are you?" Flash meowed.

"I'm Grass, and this is my sister Heather." The brown kit, Grass, Flame reminded herself, meowed.

"Ah, I see you've met my lot." A she-cat spoke from behind Flame. She turned and saw a cream-colored she-cat with green eyes. "I'm Daisy, Feather's sister."

"Hi." Flash meowed softly.

Feather walked up next to Daisy. "There you two are! Come on, everyone is meeting over here." She padded over to the center of camp. Daisy followed.

"Well? Let's go." Flame meowed, getting up and following the she-cats.

Heather and Grass glanced at each other, but followed.

The center of camp was absolutely overflowing with activity. Sand and Dust were mingling with Swoop. Flame watched as they all nuzzled each other. Bramble, Fox, Berry, Mouse, Cloud, and Breeze were all meowing with one another. River and Tiger were wrestling with Wolf and Reed. It seemed that Wolf was winning. Fang, Creek, Dawn, Swift and Blaze were joking around. Flame also saw Falcon and Blossom nuzzling each other, as well as Ocean and Thorn. Moss and Dream were discussing herbs that could be collected in their territories.

"Why did we ever separate?" Heather murmured as she watched.

"Cats of Hawkclan and Flowerclan! Please may I have your attention!" Blossom was on a high tree branch, with Falcon on the branch below her. "Welcome Hawkclan to Flowerclan's camp! We all hope you enjoy your stay. As you might know already, we have come together because of a vision my healer, Moss, had. Although currently we are all very happy and excited, two warriors have passed away. Bird, from Flowerclan, and Leaf, from Hawkclan."

The cats all dipped their heads for a moment of silence for their fallen clanmates.

"Excuse me, Blossom. I propose that for the time we are together, we do not identify ourselves as cats from Hawkclan and Flowerclan, but as cats from Leafclan." Falcon meowed, his voice ringing loud and clear.

A few murmurs went up from the cats, but in the end, approving meows came from everyone.

"Thorn, will you show everyone which den is which?" Blossom asked her deputy.

He looked up, and nodded.

"Fabulous. Everyone is dismissed." She leaped down from the tree. Falcon kind of just slid down.

"Alright everyone, please follow me." Thorn meowed, standing up. "Apprentices, this is your den. Warriors, this is yours. Kits and Queens, this is yours. Healers, this is yours. Deputies, this is yours. And this is the Leaders. Questions?"

Silence.

"Okay then….Well, good night." He padded into his den, followed by Ocean. Everyone eventually separated into their separate dens.

Flame was sitting in the clearing, and after a bit, the other kits had come to her.

"Sis? You okay?" Flash meowed, sitting next to her.

"Yes. The night is peaceful." She replied shortly.

Heather, Grass, River, Tiger, Reed, and Wolf padded over.

"I don't much like Ocean…." Heather murmured, flattening her ears as she glanced toward the deputies den.

Flame pricked her ears. "Why is that?"

Heather hunched her shoulders. "n-no reason…"

Grass sighed. "She thinks she saw her murder Leaf."

River and Tiger widened their eyes. "Woah."

Flame, Flash, Reed, and Wolf looked at each other. An unspoken message passed between them all.

"Not to long before we arrived, we all heard her talking to a strange tom. She said that she killed Bird, and the tom said to kill Leaf next." Wolf informed the other kits.

Heather looked up. "I knew she was evil!"

"Wait, you guys are serious?!" River meowed, shocked.

"Yeah, c'mon. We like a good prank." Tiger meowed, tilting his head.

Reed shook her head. "No, we swear on our lives we heard her."

"Wow. What are we going to do then?" River meowed, looking at them.

"Nothing, at the moment." Flash meowed. "We can't do anything now."

Flame bristled. "but we can…." She muttered.


	10. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

A paw prodded Heather's side. She opened her eyes, and looked up. Reed was standing over her, poking her side.

"C'mon! You're gonna be late!" She meowed, then scampered out of the den.

Heather blinked, and stood up, stretching. It was the first time in awhile that she had slept without nightmares plaguing her sleep. She licked her paw, and drew it over her ears, trying to remember what was special about today. She stopped abruptly, remembering. Today was the day she was to become an apprentice! She quickly washed herself before running outside. Reed, Wolf, Tiger, River, Flame, Flash, Grass, and herself were all to become apprentices. Even though Reed, Wolf, River, and Tiger were all older, Falcon and Blossom decided that they would allow all of them to become apprentices at the same time. As she strode out from the Nursery, she could see that the other cats were already gathered. She hurried to her spot beside her brother, who flicked his tail at her late arrival. She ignored him, turning her attention to the tree.

"Today we celebrate eight new apprentices for Leafclan. Reed and River, please step forward."

Reed and River stepped forward nervously.

"Cloud, step forward."

The grey warrior stepped forward.

"Cloud, you will be the mentor of Reed and River. Teach them well. Reed and River, you will be the apprentices of Cloud. Listen to him well, and serve the clan as best you can."

This went on for quite a bit. Wolf and Tiger got Bear, Flame and Grass got Creek, Flash and herself got Briar.

When Blossom and Falcon finished assigning mentors, they jumped down from the tree, and touched them all on the head with their tail-tip.

"Reed! River! Wolf! Tiger! Flame! Grass! Flash! Heather! Cloud! Bear! Creek! Briar!" The clan chanted.

Heather faced the clan nervously, holding her tail high. She swept her gaze over all the faces. It was kinda odd, however. She knew she should feel excited, or happy, or some type of joyous emotion. But despite this, she found that she only felt a creeping dread. Something big was going to happen soon.

When the clan finished chanting, they all broke up into little groups, talking amongst themselves, or asking to go on patrol.

Cloud bumped Reed and River. "Hey, how about we go outside camp? We could have little competitions."

Reed lit up. "Ooooo! Yes!"

"Can we all go?" Tiger asked Bear. The big cat nodded.

"Whoopie! Let's go!" Flame exclaimed, bolting off.

The other apprentices dashed after her, except for Heather. She walked with the mentors. They arrived into a sunny clearing. It was quite large, with trees surrounding all the sides, and a river cutting through the middle. Next to the river was a large rock, jutting out from the ground.

Flame was in the middle, kneading the ground impatiently. "C'mon slowpokes!"

Briar chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. We're coming." She then deliberately slowed her pace to almost a crawl.

Flame flattened her ears. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and plopped down to wait.

When Briar finally made it into the clearing, Flame jumped up. "What's the first competition!?"

Bear purred. "Calm down there, little missy. They aren't going anywhere."

Cloud nodded, and curled his tail. "However, the first one is to see who can run to the edge of the clearing and back first."

Creek dragged over a straight stick, and put it on the ground. "This is the starting line." He meowed. "Line up."

The apprentices lined up. Heather found that she was in the middle.

"Alright, on your marks, get set, GO!"

Heather shot off. She quickly pulled ahead of the other apprentices. Heather made it to the other side of the clearing a few moments after the others crossed the three-quarters point. She raced back to the stick, picking up speed. Her paws hit the stick, and she stopped abruptly, her heart pounding. She turned to see the others cross the stick a little while after she did.

"Wow. Heather, you are really fast." River meowed, panting.

The rest of them nodded.

She smiled shyly. "Oh, c'mon….It's no biggie…"

Flame nudged her. "No biggie? You were like wind!"

"Alright, alright, settle down. Heather is the winner of this round." Bear meowed, flicking his ear. "I'll let you all take a break."

Heather started to clean herself. She wasn't sure why everyone was praising her. True, she won, but it could have easily been any other cat. She didn't even think herself that fast.

"Alright, break's over." Cloud meowed, stretching. "Next up: Swimming. Whoever can stay in the river longest wins. Creek and Briar are excellent swimmers, so you shouldn't be in any danger."

The apprentices lined up at the shore.

"Three...Two...One...Go!"

They all jumped in at the same time. Flame got out almost immediately, followed shortly by Wolf and Tiger. Reed and Grass stayed in a little longer, but got out soon as well. It was down to River, Heather, and Flash. Heather was focusing on keeping her head up above the water, but Flash looked perfectly comfortable. He swam as easily as a fish, even paddling around the other two apprentices. River gave one last attempt to stay afloat, but failed. He began to sink when Briar leaned out and grabbed him by the scruff, putting him onto shore. That was enough to send Heather frantically swimming to shore. She shook out her fur, and looked back at Flash, still swimming comfortably. He seemed to spy something at the bottom of the river, because he suddenly dived down. A few tense moments later he came back up with a fish in his mouth. He swam over to shore and dropped it.

"Did I win?" He asked coolly, looking up.

Creek nodded. "Well done."

After they all dried, Cloud instructed them to go back in the river and come back out, so they were all equally wet.

"Okay. Now, see that rock over there? Whoever can stay on in the sun longer wins."

The apprentices all went over to the rock, picked places to lie down, and closed their eyes, one by one. Flame won that contest, taking on the heat like a champ. In fact, she stayed on so long that Bear had to make her get off, in worry that she would fry. The next and final contest was to see who could climb a tree the highest. Grass won that, scaling the tree all the way to the top. When all apprentices were on the ground and counted for, they set off, back to camp. When they arrived, Heather took a mouse for herself to eat from the prey pile, and went to find a quiet place to eat. As she ate, she watched the rest of the clan. Moss and Dream were deep in conversation, as always, Feather and Daisy were gossiping, and she was a bit surprised to see Dusk and Briar giggling together, but she pushed it aside. She finished her mouse, then went into the Apprentice's Den to sleep for the night. She curled up in her nest, breathing in the leafy smell.


	11. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

Flame opened her eyes. The moon was shining outside the den. She yawned, and sat up, looking around. It was still night, obviously. All the other apprentices were asleep. She twitched her ear, and padded out into the cool night air. She wasn't sleepy, so she decided to take a walk. Flame smiled at the knowledge of being allowed to go outside the camp. As she went out of camp, she noticed a semi-strong cat scent. She tipped her head, curious, and started to follow the scent trail. She could make out that it wasn't a cat from Leafclan, and it was a she-cat, so it couldn't be Ocean. Her fur spiked in anger as she thought of the murderous cat. Why wouldn't the other apprentices agree to tell? True, she could just tell Falcon and Blossom herself, but if the others did it with her, it would be sooo much more convincing. She realized that she was very close to the source of the scent. She ducked behind a tree, peeping out around the corner. She saw a clearing. At one end was a tom. She couldn't quite make out his markings, but she could tell he was white. At the end of the clearing nearest to her was a grey she-cat. She had white spots dotting her fur. As Flame looked at her, something deep inside her stirred. She tried to grasp it, but it slipped away, leaving only a hint of nostalgia. She shook her head and focused on the confrontation in front of her.

"Frost! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in ages…" The she-cat meowed. She seemed happy and relieved to see him.

"Hawk sent me here, to warn you, Flight." Frost meowed icily.

Flight stared back in confusion. "Frost? W-What do you-"

Ice shot up from under her, trapping her legs. A spike of ice shot up, just touching her neck. Frost walked forward.

"Don't try to stop this. Accept you've lost. You're useless. You're-"

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" Flame shouted out. She hadn't realized she had stepped out from behind the tree, or even spoken, but yet, here she was.

Frost whipped his head to the side. He narrowed his eyes, looking at her with mild shock. "Kit, why are you here?"

Flame snarled. "I'm not a kit! And you leave her be!"

Frost smiled. "Oh yeah? And why is that?"

"Harming cats for no reason is wrong!" She shouted back. She didn't know why she felt so strongly toward this particular cat, but for some reason, she did.

He smirked, and stepped on the ground. A trail of ice shot from his paw, speeding it's way toward Flame. She watched in shock and disbelief as it encircled her legs, trapping her as it did the she-cat. She twisted her head, trying to move. Her eyes lock with Frost's, and she watched as a slow smile creeped across his face. Her mind filled with rage. She felt something deep inside snap, a power flooding her senses. She screamed at the top of her lungs, letting it all out. Frost's face turned from satisfaction to sheer terror. She felt the ice holding her melt, as well as the ice holding Flight. She dropped to the ground, and after a look at Flame, ran off into the woods. Frost tried to follow her, but everything went a bright red for Flame.

It was morning. Flame woke up, groggy. She groaned, sitting up. She looked around, not knowing where she was. The events of last night came rushing back to her, and she jumped up, looking around for Frost. She almost immediately fell over. She realized that she was exhausted. Flame looked up into the sky, surprised to see that it was nearly sun-high. She started to stumble her way back to camp. She couldn't understand why she was so out of it. Whatever happened had left her exhausted. She let her mind wander, back to the times with her mother, and brothers and sister next to her, all cuddled up, asleep. Wait. She snapped her head up, shaking it. She only had one brother, and no sisters. She groaned softly, a headache taking hold of her. She stumbled into camp.

"Flame!" Feather called, running over. "Flame, oh Flame! Where have you been? You had us soo worried!"

Flame blinked, looking at her. "Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry…"

Feather tipped her head. "Flame, are you okay?"

Flame nodded. "Yeah, just…..kinda out of it. I'm going to go take a nap…."

"Well, alright. I'm just glad you're home safe." She licked the top of her head. "If there's anything you want to tell me, I'm here for you."

Flame managed a small smile before heading to the apprentice's den. She tried to sleep, but found she couldn't. Too many questions were buzzing in her head. She decided to go ask Falcon some questions. He might be able to help her. She got up and went over to the leader's den.

"Falcon?" She called. "Are you in there?"

Blossom poked her head out. "Oh, Flame! I'm sorry, Falcon is on a patrol right now. Did you need something?"

Flame nodded. "I was hoping to ask him some questions."

"Oh, well, maybe I can answer them." Blossom offered, smiling.

"Okay. Well, um, do you know a cat named Frost?"

She shook her head. "No, can't say I do."

"Alright. What about a cat named Hawk, or Flight?"

Blossom paled. She looked at Flame in astonishment.

"What?"

Blossom closed her eyes, then opened them. "Y-Yes…. I do know those two…"

Flame pricked her ears. "Really? Can you tell me about them?"

Blossom bit her lip, but dipped her head. She sat down. "Alright. To be blunt about it, Flight and Hawk are me and Falcon's son and daughter."

"Wait...WHAT!?"

She nodded. "Yes. Long ago, the clan was just getting started. Thorn and Ocean just had their two kits, Dream and Moss. That same night, I had Hawk and Flight.

Over time, Flight became more independent. She wouldn't let anything stand in her way. Her brother shared his sister's forwardness, and was definitely more determined. He took a liking to Dream, and eventually became her mate. Flight was certain that she didn't need any cat to be her mate, she was fine on her own. And I didn't doubt her for a second. She had this light within her, shining bright.

Then, things started to go wrong. Dream was bearing Hawk's kits. She had three kits, Daisy, Feather, and Snow. Snow was never a strong kit, the runt of the litter. She got very sick, and died. Dream was devastated, and decided to devote her life to help cats, sick and injured. Hawk was also stricken with grief. I don't know how else to describe it. It was if a darkness took control of him. One day, I woke up, and he was gone. We tried to find him, Flight especially, but it was as if he vanished.

Daisy and Feather grew up, and became good friends with Flight. Almost like sisters those three were. Flight started to disappear every now and again, but she always came back. One day, she came into camp, and took Daisy and Feather with her. A few worrying weeks later, Daisy and Feather came back. They explained that Flight wanted to be on her own, and not to be found. They also revealed that while they were away, Daisy had bore Pine's second litter of kits. Just two, and that was Heather and Grass. Feather had also bore kits, though she never revealed the father. Those kits were you and Flash, Flame."

Flame widened her eyes. "So….Hawk is my grandfather?"

Blossom chuckled. "I never thought of it like that, but yeah. I guess he is."

Flame looked down, fully taking this in. She looked back up at Blossom and smiled. "Thank you for that."

Blossom smiled, and dipped her head. "Anytime."

Flame nodded, then got up and walked off. As she walked back to the apprentice's den, she spied Claw and Dappled together. She knew that they had been mates for a while now. She walked over.

"Flame! Hello there." Dappled meowed, then giggled. "Should we tell her?"

Claw smiled. "You did say you wanted to tell every cat you saw."

Dappled giggled again. "Alright. Flame, this may not be important to you, but I'm pregnant!"

Flame's jaw dropped. "Wha- R-Really?!"

She nodded. "I had my suspicions, of course, but today I went to see Dream, and she confirmed it!"

Flame was bubbling. "Wow! Congratulations!"

Dappled began to chatter to Claw, and Flame took the chance to go back to the apprentice's den. She settled down, and began to wash herself. As she licked the pad of her right forepaw, she noticed something strange. She leaned back a bit to see it better. A small picture of a flame was imprinted on her paw-pad. "Huh. Weird." She meowed, then shrugged it off and continued her wash.


	12. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_

Heather set down her robin on the prey pile. She glanced behind her, seeing Briar and Flash following her in the camp from their hunting trip. She twitched an ear, and headed to the apprentice's den. She sat in front of the den, watching the clan. She had a very ominous feeling in her gut, and it wouldn't leave. She watched as Feather and Daisy sat next to each other, discussing something fervently. She recalled the previous day. Flame hadn't been in her nest when Heather woke, so she assumed that she went out on the dawn patrol, but when Grass and Creek had returned, they had told her that they hadn't seen her. Flame did come back later, but by then everyone was anxious as to where she had gone. Heather sighed, flattening her ears, just to prick them up again, as Swift and Swoop ran into camp, out of breath. They were both clearly injured. She sprang up and running over, wondering what had happened. By the time she got there, a crowd had already formed. Blossom and Falcon ran over.

"What happened?!" Blossom meowed anxiously.

"Attacked…..coming…..this…." Swift panted. Before he could finish, however, two black cats jumped out from the entrance of camp. The first one slammed into Swoop. She shrieked, then was cut short when the cat sunk it's teeth into her neck. When it let go, Swoop's eyes were glazed over. She was dead. Meanwhile, the other cat had slashed its claws across Swift's neck, killing him. The clan let out a gasp, and stepped back. Heather stood frozen, her eyes locked on the two cats. Falcon let out a yowl of rage, and threw himself at the cats. They did little to defend themselves, and he had executed killing blows in a matter of moments. However, when he slashed their necks, they didn't bleed. Instead, they fell, and vanished to the shadows.

Falcon looked up. "What?"

The clan started murmuring. No one was sure what was going on. Flame, Flash, and Grass all ran up next to her.

"What's happening?" Grass meowed, a touch of fear in his voice.

Just then, two cats walked into camp. One was a large sturdy black tom with red eyes. The other was a white tom with ice-blue eyes.

Flame widened her eyes in surprise. "I know the white tom….His name's Frost."

Flash looked at her, a question in his eyes, but he was silent, deciding to save it for later.

Blossom widened her eyes, and took a step forward uncertainty. "H-Hawk? Is that you?"

Dream pushed her way to the front, followed shortly after by Feather and Daisy.

"Hawk! Where have you been?! Your mother and I have been worried sick! Not to mention your poor sister!"

The cat named Hawk tipped his head. "Flight is here?"

"Hey, wait. Isn't that the tom who was talking with Ocean?" Flash meowed quietly. Flame nodded.

Falcon glowered. "No. She is not here. And who is this?" He nodded toward Frost.

Hawk flicked his tail. "This is Frost. Flight's mate."

Dream looked at Hawk. "What happened to you?"

He snorted. "Nothing."

Dream narrowed her eyes. "Don't approach." She meowed quietly.

A screech sounded from the back of the crowd. The cat's attention shifted, and everyone looked behind them. Ocean stood with blood on her paws, at her feet the lifeless body of Dust. Sand shrieked.

Chaos broke out. Every cat was running, trying to get away safely, or take down the traitors.

Feather turned to Heather, Flash, Flame, and Grass. "Listen! You must get out of here, and find Flight! It is so important you stay alive! Please, she'll explain everything! Just g-" She was cut short by an ice spike shooting into her neck. She gagged, and fell. Behind her stood Frost, satisfaction on his face.

Flash stood frozen. Then he let out a scream of rage, and water rose up around him. He directed the water at Frost, and it hit him square in the chest. Flash then drooped, exhausted. Heather stared at him in shock.

Grass started to push him toward the entrance. Another shadow cat leaped out from the bushes. It ran straight at Grass. He widened his eyes, and, as if on instinct, slammed his paw on the ground. Earth shot up toward the shadow cat, slamming into it's belly and sending it flying up. Grass looked at the upturned earth in shock.

Flame looked at them. "We got to fight!" She ran into the fray.

"Flame NO!" Heather shouted, running after her. A cat fell in front of her. She stopped short, horror on her face. Ocean's lifeless face stared at her, teeth blood stained. Heather felt like collapsing, and shutting out this living hell. Instead, she swallowed her fear, and pushed onward.

"Help! Someone, help!" A voice cried out. Heather pricked her ears, turning toward the cry. Seed was crouched, terrified in front of Hawk. Heather started running toward her, when a flash of orange fur moved in front of her. Hawk slashed at the throat of Alder, landing a direct hit. She widened her eyes, and stumbled.

Seed looked at her sister in horror. She then suddenly gasped, and went limp. An ice spike protruded from her middle. Frost smirked, then turned his attention to Heather. She looked up at him, trembling.

"Oh, isn't this upsetting? A little kit, watching her clan die around her." Frost meowed, advancing. "Well, I'll grant you mercy, this one time." He raised his paw to make a killing swipe, when he was knocked to the ground by a grey and white she-cat.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" She screeched, swiping at his face.

Hawk looked a little shocked. "F-Flight?" However, the shock turned to anger quickly. "I thought I told you to stay out of this fight!"

Flight looked up and glared at him. "I do not, and will not, listen to you. Ever." She glanced behind her. "Heather, go Flame and meet your siblings at the entrance. Now."

Heather backed up, and took off. A shadow cat sprang from the fighting cats, and ran toward her. It pounced on her. She looked up at it's face, determination spreading through her. She let out a yowl, and pushed up, throwing it off. She stood, and unsheathed her claws. Acting on impulse, she swiped at the air, then slammed her paw into the ground. A wall of wind pushed out from where she had swiped. It slammed into the cat, dispersing it. It also dispersed the ones it hit into. She suddenly drooped, tired. She looked up, and saw Flame running toward her.

"Flame, we….we got to go….I-I'm sorry…" Heather panted.

Flame looked back at her clan, then back to Heather. She reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, yeah we do." She began helping her to the entrance.

Flight was already there. She ran over to them. She picked up Heather by the scruff, and ran to the entrance. Flame had turned, frozen in place. Flight put down Heather. "Flame! Come on, we got to-" She stopped, seeing what had captivated Flame's attention.

Hawk stood in front of Falcon and Blossom. "Hello, mother, father. So sorry about earlier."

Falcon was furious. "HAWK! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT!"

Hawk smiled. "Oh, daddy. You don't know when to shut up."

Falcon looked taken aback. "Hawk. You need to leave."

Hawk laughed. "Yeah, no. It's you who is leaving."

Falcon narrowed his eyes. "Over my dead body."

Hawk shrugged. "If you insist." With that he leaped at Falcon, hitting him square in the back. Falcon tried to push him off, but failed. Hawk lashed his tail, and locked his jaws around Falcon's neck. Falcon writhed for a few moments, then fell limp. Hawk released his teeth, licking his lips. He then turned to Blossom.

"Hawk….What have you done?" Blossom meowed, looking up at him.

Hawk chuckled, shaking his head. He then sprang at her. She dodged out of the way, then turned to him.

"You don't have to do this…"

He flattened his ears, and sprang at her again.

Again, she dodged. "Hawk, please. Baby….."

"SHUT UP!" He screeched, running toward her. This time, she didn't dodge quickly enough. He rammed into her, hitting her onto her back. She looked up at him sadly. Hawk's right eye lit up, and he mercilessly slashed at her belly. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

Tears fell onto Heather's head. She looked up, her own eyes wet, to see Flight silently crying. Flight reached out to Flame with her paw, and pushed her toward her. Flame let herself be pushed for a moment, then turned and fled. Just before Flight turned her head to go after her, Heather caught the eye of Reed and Wolf, staring at her, terror in their eyes. Then, Flight turned her head, and they left the camp.


	13. Updated Allegiances Deaths

_**Allegiances - Updated**_

 **Leafclan:**

Leader:

Hawk - Black tom with red eyes

Deputy:

Frost - White tom with ice blue eyes

Healers:

Moss - Light grey she-cat with ice-blue eyes and white underside

Dream - White she-cat with black ears and amber eyes - Blind

Warriors:

Fang - Black she-cat with white chest and green eyes

Berry - Cream tom with blue eyes and black muzzle

Creek - Light brown tabby tom with green eyes

Blaze - Orange tom with green eyes

Branch - Dark brown tom with lighter brown patches, green eyes

Breeze - Black tom with yellow eyes

Brook - Grey she-cat with amber eyes

Claw - Sand-colored tom with blue eyes

Dappled - Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Dusk - Dusty brown tom with yellow eyes

Fox - Red she-cat with black tail-tip and brown eyes

Bramble - Brown she-cat with white ears

Daisy - Cream she-cat with green eyes

Pine - Black tom with green eyes

Bear - Big brown tom with orange eyes

Dawn - Orange she-cat with blue eyes and white paws

Grey - Grey tom with yellow eyes

Mouse - Small brown she-cat with orange eyes

Thorn - Dark brown tom with green eyes

Apprentices:

Sand - Sand-colored tom with green eyes

Wolf - Dark grey she-cat with lighter grey underside

Reed - Black she-cat with white paws and green eyes

River - Grey tom with green eyes

Tiger - Orange tom with amber eyes and black stripes

 **Loners / Rogues / Kittypets:**

Flight - Loner - Light grey she-cat with white spots, blue eyes

Flame - Loner - Orange she-cat with white ears and blue eyes

Flash - Loner - Grey tom with blue eyes

Heather - Loner - Tan she-cat with amber eyes

Grass - Loner - Brown tom with a white circle around one eye

Fish - Loner - Tabby tom

Flower - Kittypet - Yellow she-cat with green eyes

Sparky - Kittypet - Yellow and white tom with orange eyes

 **Deaths:**

Bird - Ocean

Leaf - Ocean

Swift - Hawk (Shadow)

Swoop - Hawk (Shadow)

Dust - Ocean

Feather - Frost (Ice)

Ocean - Pine

Cloud - Hawk (Shadow)

Alder - Hawk

Seed - Frost (Ice)

Briar - Frost (Ice)

Fern - Frost (Ice)

Falcon - Hawk

Blossom - Hawk


	14. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11**_

 _ **Many, many moons earlier…**_

" _Someday, I'm going to be leader!" Hawk mewed._

 _Flight cuffed him playfully over the ear. "No you aren't, mouse-brain."_

" _Oh yeah? Why's that?"_

" _Because I'M gonna be leader!"_

" _Alright you two. Quiet down." Blossom walked into the den. "Being a leader is very difficult. You have to make many decisions. And the results of those decisions will lead your group down a path, be it for the better or worse."_

 _Flight looked down. "Oh. I never thought of that."_

 _Hawk jumped on her back. She let out a squeak of surprise._

" _Well, WHEN I become leader, I'm gonna rule with an iron paw! Nobody dares talk back to the mighty Hawk! Wahahaha!"_

 _Blossom purred in amusement. "Well, the mighty Hawk needs his sleep if he wants to become a big, strong leader." She padded to the nest, and laid down. Flight and Hawk followed, snuggling up next to her. "Goodnight, kits."_

" _G'night mommy." Flight murmured sleepily._

 _ **Present Day**_

Flame ran as fast and hard as she could. The terrible scene of Blossom and Falcon's death kept replaying in her head, over and over. Ahead of her, Flight was running as well. A little while back she had set down Heather, who was now also running by Flight's side, keeping pace easily. Flame slipped on some wet leaves, landing on her stomach painfully. She groaned, and pushed herself up, shaking out her fur. A paw prodded her side.

"You alright?" Flash meowed, helping her up.

She nodded, panting. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

Flight looked back, and skidded to a stop. She ran back to the two. "C'mon guys, just a little further, I promise."

Flame glared at her. "You've been saying that for quite a while now. I'm tired! Where are we going?!"

Flight gazed at her sadly. "I'm sorry, I'll explain it all later, but right now we have to keep going."

"Fine. Whatever." Flame spat back, running ahead. She was irritated on how this she-cat had just butted into their lives. Her mind briefly flashed back to Wolf and Reed's terrified faces as they left camp. She closed her eyes, shutting out the image with a shudder. She felt horrible leaving them behind, but under the circumstances, she didn't see many options. She opened her eyes, and slowed down to let the others catch up.

Grass padded up. "Hey. Are you doing alright?"

She flattened her ears. "I'd be better if she told us where we were going!" With that she glared at Flight.

The grey and white she cat sighed. "It's somewhere safe."

"Oh, thank you so much for your help! I could've never figured that out on my own!" Flame meowed, sarcasm dripping in her voice. Flight flattened her ears, looking hurt. Flame snarled, and lashed her tail, stalking ahead.

Flash ran up to her. "Hey, c'mon, don't be like that."

She didn't say anything, glaring at the trees ahead.

Finally, after what seemed like a moon of walking, they came to a clearing. She could clearly tell that someone had cleared out stray bushes, and spent effort making a large den, placed at the edge of the clearing. In the center of the clearing was a wide tree-stump, which had fresh-kill on it. Flame looked around, realizing that it was supposed to be a camp. She looked back, just as Flight and the others came in through a sort of entrance.

Flight gave a weary smile. "We're here."

Flame turned back to the camp, and padded more into it. Heather padded over to the fresh-kill pile, sniffing a bird on the top. Flash and Grass went over to the den, sticking their heads in. Flame watched Flight sit down, and watch the apprentices explore. She bristled when the grey-and-white she-cat glanced over to her. She didn't like how she could just come in and take them away from Leafclan so calmly. Like it was always going to be this way. 'Why didn't I stay with my clan?!' She thought angrily, disappointed with herself. She let out a sigh, and laid down, suddenly exhausted from the trip over.

Flash noticed her as he came out of the den. He padded over to her. "Hey, if you're feeling tired, why don't you come take a rest in the den? There's already nests in it, and it looks pretty cozy!" He smiled.

Flame glanced up to him. "...Fine." She was too tired to care, and the sun was starting to set. She stood up, and padded over to the den.

Grass was already curled up and asleep by the time the two entered. Flame settled down near the entrance of the den, and Flash laid down beside her. Heather padded in as well, and curled up next to Grass. Flame eventually fell asleep. Sometime during the night, Flight had crawled in, and curled up in the center of the den.


	15. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 12**_

 _Heather was dreaming, again. It seemed that every other night was another confusing, frightening dream. This time, she was at the bottom of a rocky slope. She looked up it. The sun was shining down, the blue sky cleared of any clouds. The rocks would be a perfect place to bask. She looked over her shoulder to say something to the cats that were following her, when she noticed an adder quietly slithering up to them on one of the rocks, slightly above their heads. Without thinking, she ran back, shoving one of the cats out of the way. The adder leapt toward her face, and-_

She woke up with a start, her heart pounding. Heather looked around her, briefly forgetting where she was and why. Then it all came rushing back to her. She closed her eyes, and laid her head back down, trying desperately to stop the tears from flowing down her face. She got up quickly and made her way outside.

It was just after sunrise. The sun had risen, but dark red and amber hues still streaked the sky. She let out a small sigh, and glanced around the camp. Flight was grooming herself near the entrance, and Grass was stretching near the prey-pile. He glanced up, and saw Heather. He gave her a small smile, and gestured or her to come over.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked as she approached him.

She gave a shrug, not meeting his eyes.

A look of concern flashed across his face. "Another nightmare?" He meowed, lowering his tail.

Heather nodded.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Actually, I-"

"Hey you two! What are you talking about?" Flight pitched in. She had padded up next to them without Heather or Grass noticing.

"GAH!" Heather yelped, jumping back. She instinctively inched behind Grass, staring at Flight with wide eyes.

Flight blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle you? Geez, I really need to work on that…." She gave a sheepish grin.

Grass glanced up at her. "Heather just had a-"

Flame burst out of the den. She ran up to the small group of cats, hackles raised. Flash came running after her. "Flame! It's probably nothing to worry about!"

Flame glanced at him, then turned back to the others. "I heard a yelp." She growled, glaring pointedly at Flight.

Flight flattened her ears. "I can explain. Heather and Grass were just talking about something, and I guess I startled her."

Flame narrowed her eyes, and glanced over at Grass for confirmation. He nodded. Flame gave a small snort, and turned away from Flight, bristling.

Heather looked a little uncomfortable. "I-I just had a bad dream…"

Flight nodded. "Ooohhh, okay. You...want to talk about it?" She gave a smile, trying to seem approachable.

Heather looked down. "Not anymore."

"Oh, um, okay th-"

"How about you tell us what is going on, huh?" Flame snapped, whipping around and glaring at Flight. "How do you know us?"

Flight stared at her for a few seconds, speechless.

Heather looked over at Flight, everyone else following suit.

Flight glanced around her, and seeing everyone's eyes on her, sighed and sat down. "Fine, fine. You deserve it anyways. Everyone, please just sit down."

Once everyone was seated, Flight gazed at them, conflicting emotions in her eyes. She sighed. "I've never been great at telling stories, so I'll cut straight to the chase. Grass, Flame, Flash, Heather, I'm...I'm your mother."

They all stared at her. "But… Daisy and Feather…" Heather started.

Flight nodded. "A long time ago, they chose to raise you all as their own. It's...a long story." She looked down at her paws. "But all you need to know from it is that I couldn't keep you. It'd be too dangerous. Please, _please forgive me_. It's all I ask for." She looked up, tears brimming in her eyes. "Anytime you want to. I'll understand…"

Heather gazed at her. "I forgive you." She meowed, dipping her head. It was easy to say, likely because she really meant it.

Grass glanced at her, with an expression that read ' _Really?_ '. Flash was silent, his face expressionless. Flame was staring at Flight, fury churning in her eyes.

Flight looked at Heather. She gave her youngest a smile. "Thank you, Heather. It means more than you know."

Grass flicked his tail at that, turning his head away. Flame's fur spiked up. "Really? You expect us to forgive you, just like that?" She growled, taking a step forward.

Flight blinked, and looked down. "I can understand if you don't understand it at first…."

Flame bristled. "Understand?! What's there to understand? You gave us away without a second thought!"

Flight jerked her head up, looking shocked. "No no no! Flame, that's not true! It pained me so, so much to see you all go. I had no choice. If I kept you, then Frost would've found you and killed you all! It was the only way to protect you!"

Flame narrowed her eyes, and lashed her tail. "And look how well that went." She snarled, then raced out of camp, fueled on by fury.

"Flame! Wait!" Flash called, running after her.

Flight stood up to chase after them as well, but was stopped when Grass reached over and placed a paw on her shoulder. "Just let them be." He meowed.

Flight glanced over to him, and after a moment, nodded and sat down. "I'm...I'm sorry. I truly had no other choice at the time, not one I could see."

Grass nodded. "I understand that."

Heather looked over to the grey and white she-cat. She could clearly see that bringing up this part of her past was very difficult and painful. She sighed, and looked down at her paws. She turned over her right forepaw, and saw an imprint of three swirls in the rough shape of a triangle. She creased her forehead in confusion. ' _Huh? What is this?'_ She thought. ' _I don't remember it being there before….It doesn't hurt, so that's good, I guess. Does it have something to do with what happened during….during the battle?'_ Heather glanced up at Flight. She was staring longingly and worriedly at the entrance of the camp, no doubt worrying over Flame and Flash. ' _Maybe she knows? I'll ask later…'_

Grass glanced over to Heather. "Something on your mind?" He meowed.

Heather shook her head. "Oh! No, no I-I'm fine." She put on a smile, desperately covering up her doubts and fears.

Grass looked like he didn't really believe her, but nodded anyway. "Okay then." He meowed.

A single snowflake drifted to the ground, and stuck onto the grass blades.


	16. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13**_

Flame ran out of the camp, her thoughts blurring together like the ground she ran on. She didn't, no, she _couldn't_ understand. Flight was her mother?! How?! Eventually, she slowed down, coming to sit at a slowly moving river. She flattened her ears, looking down at her paws, and tried to collect her thoughts.

' _So, this loner I just met says she's my mother. She could be lying, yes, but she could also not be. But I've just met her! I don't trust her, but then again, what reason would she have to lie?'_

She pricked her ears, hearing someone approach. Flame whipped her head around, snarling. A slightly surprised Flash jerked back. "F-Flame?"

Flame let herself relax slightly when she saw that it was just Flash. "Did _she_ send you to come drag me back?" She spat, bristling.

Flash shook his head, coming over to sit next to her. "No, I came on my own. Are you… are you okay?" He asked tentatively, knowing how she could be when upset.

"No I'm not okay!" Flame retorted. "This loner we just met says she's our mother? What about Feather, huh? And what about our clan? We never should've left! What's happening to everyone we left behind? Wolf, Reed, Tiger, River, Bear-"

"Hey!" Flash interrupted. "Hey. It's going to be okay. We'll get through this, they'll get through this." He meowed in a soothing tone, looking straight at her.

Flame flattened her ears. "Will it? Will it really, though?" Snowflakes started to drift down. She looked up to the clouds. "Great. Almost forgot that it was nearly leaf-bare."

Flash looked up as well. "Maybe this is a sign."

Flame glanced over to him, an exasperated look on her face. "A sign, huh?"

Flash nodded. "Newleaf always comes after leaf-bare. So, maybe we just need to get through this, and then everything will get better."

Flame looked down. "Maybe."

Flash stood up, and gave her a nudge. "C'mon, let's get back before we freeze to death."

Flame flattened her ears, and sighed. "Yeah, I suppose." The two headed back to camp in silence.

As they emerged from the camp entrance, the first thing Flame saw was Heather and Flight talking quietly to each other near the den. Grass was nowhere to be seen, probably inside the den, staying warm. Flame glared at Flight, and stalked into the den before Flight could say anything.

She settled down in the den, near the back this time. Flash came in shortly after, carrying two thrushes. He set one down in front of Flame, and settled down next to her.

"Eat up." He meowed before taking a bite of his own.

Flame shook her head, and leaned down, eating the thrush. As she had suspected before, Grass was sitting in the den, out of the chill. After she and Flash had finished their prey, Flight and Heather padded into the den, likely taking refuge from the wind.

Flame refused to make eye contact with Flight, which only made the tension in the den rise a few notches.

"So...um...t-that snow was kinda surprising…" Heather stammered uncomfortably, trying to break the tension.

Grass nodded. "Yeah, I agree."

Flash nodded as well. "I mean, I knew that it was nearing leaf-bare, but I didn't quite expect snow this soon." He gave a quick sneeze.

Flight looked over. "Are you catching something?" She asked worriedly. "I-I can make another den if you ne-"

"He's fine." Flame snapped, glaring at the she-cat.

Flight flattened her ears. "..."

Flash glanced over to her. "Hey, I know you don't like her, but you don't need to be so rude. She's only trying to help."

Flame snorted, turning away so that she was facing the den wall. An uncomfortable silence filled the air.

' _Good. Let her feel uncomfortable. She doesn't deserve my kindness.'_ Flame thought, flattening her ears.

"...How do you think the clan is doing?" Grass meowed softly, not speaking to anyone in particular. Silence filled the den once again, as no one wanted to speak first.

Eventually, Flash cleared his throat. "I hope they're doing okay."

Heather nodded. "Most of them seemed….alright, I suppose, when we left…. Better than...some…"

Flight flattened her ears, looking down.

A tear formed at the edge of Flame's eye. She quickly wiped it away, refusing to let Flight see her grieving. Flash, on the other hand, seemed to have his emotions finally overwhelm him. He started to shake, tears running down his face. This open show of mourning triggered Heather and Grass to start sobbing as well. Even Flight began to cry, but for what Flame could only guess. Despite her efforts to keep herself contained, she found tears streaming down her own cheeks, splashing onto the ground below.

She cried for the clan she'd left behind. She cried for the clan she had failed to protect. She cried for the only mother she ever knew, gone in an instant.

After a long, long while, the wind and the snowfall outside died down, so that everything became much more quieter. The small group of cats had stopped their mourning long before the snow had stopped. Stars twinkled above, covered from view by the bramble overhead of the den. Silence had once again filled the den, this time though, a peaceful silence as the five cats nestled inside slept through the first night of leaf-bare.


	17. Chapter 14

_**Chapter 14  
**_

 _ **Many moons earlier...**_

 _Hawk and Flight circled around each other. The two apprentices were having a mock-fight. Flight darted towards her brother, batting at his cheek with sheathed claws. Hawk lurched forward, biting down on her shoulder. Flight squealed, backing away quickly._

 _Hawk dropped into a hunting crouch, then ran at Flight, ramming his head into her chest. Flight, taken by surprise, was knocked to the ground. Hawk pinned her down, and leaned forward to give a nip on her neck._

" _Hah! I won again!" He exclaimed as he pulled back, jumping off his sister._

 _Flight scrambled up. "No fair! You always win!" She pouted, upset that she had lost to her brother yet again._

 _Hawk stuck out his tongue. "It's not my fault you're weak!"_

 _Flight gasped. "Well, at least I'm a better hunter! So there!" She stuck out her tongue._

" _Now now." Falcon intervened, padding over to the squabbling siblings from where he was watching their training. "You two are both equally talented at different things."_

 _Hawk flicked an ear. "I suppose that's true." He meowed grudgingly._

 _Flight nodded, puffing out her chest._

" _But I'm still stronger than you!" Hawk exclaimed, pouncing on her again._

 _ **Present Day**_

Heather awoke from another dream. They seemed incessant, repeating over and over every night. The result was making her tired, unable to get a full night's rest. She sighed, and turned her head upwards, toward the overhead bramble. ' _Weird,'_ She thought, tilting her head slightly. ' _It looks too dark for it to be morning…'_ Just then, a wind blew in from outside, carrying with it the biting chill of snow. Heather bushed up her fur against the cold, looking over to the entrance of the den. ' _Ah. Yes, now I remember. It's leaf-bare.'_ She flicked an ear, picking up the faint sound of Flash, giving a small cough at the side of the den.

She looked over to him, worry flickering across her face. "Flash?" She whispered, careful to keep it low as to not disrupt the others. "Flash." She meowed again, more insistent as he kept his eyes shut.

He opened one blearily. "Huh?"

Heather flicked her ear. "Are you feeling okay?"

Flash closed his eye. "I'm fine, go back to sleep…"

"Hey, sleepypaws! C'mon you two, you can't sleep all day!" Flight chirped from outside.

Heather finally noticed that she and Flash were the only two in the den.

"O-Oh!" Heather exclaimed in surprise. She rushed out of the den, embarrassment following her out. She gave a sheepish smile at Flame, Grass and Flight. Her paws sunk into the newly fallen snow, sinking in so that the tops of them were buried beneath the white. Flame had her fur slightly bushed out against the cold, but was still shivering slightly. Grass had his fur slightly bushed out as well, but he wasn't shivering. Flight looked energized and ready to start the day.

Heather shivered, and glanced behind her in time to see Flash pad out of the den behind her. He looked tired, his movements slow and heavy.

Flame looked over to her brother, concern flashing on her face. She trotted over to him quickly. "Flash? Are you feeling alright? You don't look well."

Flash glared at her, his fur bushing out. Whether it be from the cold or in irritability, Heather wasn't sure. "I'm. Fine. Leave me alone." He meowed in a low tone, lashing his tail.

Flame blinked in slight surprise. "Flash?"

Flash drew back his lips. "I said- LEAVE M-"

"Okay! Okay, okay. Let's all just calm down!" Flight interrupted, putting on a smile. "Flame, if Flash says he's fine, I'm sure he is."

Flame narrowed her eyes at Flight, bristling. Flash stared at the ground, silent.

Heather twitched an ear, nervousness flooding her. ' _If they don't learn to get along, we won't make it through leaf-bare.'_

Flight drew in a small breath. "Okay. I'm sure you all have a lot of questions, so, until it is sunhigh, you can ask me anything you want, and I'll try to answer them as best I can, okay?" She gave a small smile, but Heather caught doubt flash in her eyes. "I won't answer everything, keep in mind."

Flame lashed her tail. "Okay. How about this: Why did you abandon us as kits, and never bothered to come back to check on us?"

Flight flattened her ears, and looked down. "As I told you before, I didn't have a choice. If I'd kept you, then nothing good would've come out of it, for anyone. I wanted to keep you with all of my heart, but I just couldn't."

Flame bristled. "That didn't answer my other-"

"I have a question." Grass interrupted, shooting Flame a look. He held out his right forepaw. "What's this, and why is it here?" On his paw pad, a small leaf symbol could be seen.

"You have one too?" Heather responded, surprised. She held out her own paw, showing her symbol.

Flame furrowed her forehead, and held out her paw as well. On it was a small fire symbol.

"I was wondering that too." Flash meowed, holding out his paw also. On it was a circle, with the top half being occupied by three swirls, and the bottom half having three squiggly lines going across it horizontally.

Flight stared at the symbols for a moment, seemingly lost for words. "So I was right…." She murmured.

Grass glanced over to Heather. In his eyes, she could see questions swirling endlessly. "Right about what?" He asked, turning his head back to Flight.

Flight closed her eyes, and shook her head. "Nothing, nevermind. Um, wh-when did these appear?"

Flame shrugged her shoulders. "For me, I don't know, I guess after I went out one night, and came across…." She narrowed her eyes suddenly. "Came across you and Frost…."

Flight shifted her paws uncomfortably.

"Wait, when did this happen?" Flash asked, looking over at Flame.

She flicked her tail. "Remember that one night where I wasn't at camp? I had gone out in the night, and came across her and Frost. Frost then somehow made ice encase her legs, and I got really mad. Then…" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Now I remember! Then I felt as if something had unlocked inside me, and then flames shot up from everywhere! It melted the ice, and they both ran off! Then I passed out."

Everyone, excluding Flight, stared at her, shock in their eyes. Heather blinked, and shook her head, thinking back to the battle.

"I remember something too…" Grass murmured, creasing his forehead in concentration. "During the battle, I felt as if something unlocked in me as well. I slammed my paw on the ground in pure instinct, and the ground shot up and out from it."

Flash nodded. "Same with me, but a blast of water instead."

Heather blinked. "I had a similar experience with a blast of wind. I-Is this why these symbols are here?"

All eyes turned to Flight. She looked extremely uncomfortable, shuffling her paws. Flame narrowed her eyes, and shot forward, grabbing her right paw in her jaws.

Flight yelped, and a burst of light shot out from her, hitting Flame square in the chest. Flame was knocked to the ground, landing with a soft plump into the snow. Flight stared at her, a confusing array of emotions flashing through her face. "I-I'm sorry!" She shouted, then ran back to the den as fast as her legs could carry her.


	18. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15**_

Flame groaned, and pushed herself up from the snow. She looked around, swishing her tail.

Flash looked over to her. "Flame! Are you okay?" He meowed, then coughed.

Flame blinked, and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm alright…"

Heather flattened her ears. "Why did you attack her!? I know you don't like her, but even that's a little much!"

Flame flattened her ears. "Attack her? No, I just wanted to see if she had a symbol on her paw as well! Do you think I'm stupid?" She snapped, lashing her tail.

Heather flinched back, stung by her comment.

Grass narrowed his eyes. "I don't think you should've done that."

Flame rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Flight deserved it. Anyway, I did see a symbol. It was a circle, with six triangles around the outside, so it resembled the sun."

Grass flattened his ears. "That doesn't justify your actions. You could've just asked her!"

Flame bristled, and stepped forward, each pawstep melting the snow around her paws. "What's done is done." She growled.

"Guys… Please don't fight…" Heather squeaked, her pelt pricking with nervousness.

Flame jerked her head toward her. "This doesn't involve you, so be quiet!" She snapped.

Heather shrunk down, scared.

Grass hissed, and lashed out, raking his claws along Flame's cheek. "DON'T talk to my sister that way!" He snarled, fluffing out his fur.

Flame turned her head towards him, eyes blazing in fury. "Why you-" She lunged forward, only to be stopped by Flash, who had darted in front of her, and was glaring at her defiantly.

Flash lowered his head, lashing his tail. "You need to calm down." He meowed in a low tone.

Flame drew back, fluffing out her fur. "I can't believe you. Siding against your own sister!"

Flash narrowed his eyes. "I'm siding with my sister and brother."

Flame widened her eyes, and jerked her glare away, glaring at the ground. She tried to cover up her hurt, but Flash saw right through it.

Flash widened his eyes slightly. "Flame, I didn't mean-"

Flame shoved past him, heading for the camp entrance rapidly.

"Flame!"

Flame ignored her brother's call, striding toward the entrance. Suddenly, something yanked sharply on her scruff, causing her to fall backwards. "Ow!" She yelped, then glared up.

Flash was staring down at her. "Stop. Just, just stop."

Flame narrowed her eyes, but pushed herself up into a sitting position. She gazed at Flash, her eyes dull. "What do you want?"

Flash flattened his ears, and sat down. "Flame, I didn't mean to hurt you. But you were, are, being irrational. You really need to stop and think about what consequences your actions will bring."

Flame flattened her ears, and looked at the ground.

Flash flicked his tail. "Now, go apologize to Heather and Flight."

Flame narrowed her eyes, glaring up at Flash. "You aren't my mom!"

Flash narrowed his eyes. "Flame…"

Flame flattened her ears, and scoffed. "Fine! Whatever." She stood up, and padded over to Heather and Grass. "...Sorry." She muttered, swishing her tail.

Grass glared at her, but dipped his head, accepting her apology.

"Now Flight." Flash meowed.

Flame rolled her eyes, and stalked toward the den. Reaching the entrance, she called in. "Flight? I'm sorry I grabbed your paw." A moment of silence passed, then Flight emerged from the den, her eyes red from crying.

"It's… it's okay. I'm sorry I attacked you." Flight murmured back.

Flash smiled. "See? That wasn't so hard."

Flame glared at Flash.

"Hey, I have an idea. Let's all go hunting." Grass suggested. "The fresh-kill pile is looking low, and there still might be prey out."

Flash nodded. "That sounds great. I'll stay and guard the camp."

Grass nodded, and looked over to Flight.

Flight nodded as well. "That's fine. Just, stay safe, alright?"

Flash nodded, and watched as they all departed.

Once outside the camp, Flame glanced around, taking in the surroundings again.

Flight flicked her tail in the direction of the river. "Let's try over there first."

The group padded along, and were eventually able to find some prey, two squirrels and a thrush. Heather had caught the squirrels, and Grass was able to catch the thrush. When they were just starting to head back to camp, Flame caught a strange scent on the air. She paused, and lifted her head, nostrils twitching.

Flight looked over to her. "Flame?"

Flame lashed her tail. "Shush." She pricked her ears, and crept forward, following the scent trail. Ahead of her, some bushes rustled. The orange she-cat narrowed her eyes, and sprang into the bushes, hoping to land on some prey. Instead, a bewildered tom stared up at her.

Flame drew back quickly in surprise, staring at the cat in front of her. She had never seen him before. She flattened her ears, and hissed.

"Flame?" Flight came out of the bushes behind her. "What did you…." She trailed off, seeing the tom. A moment of silence passed, then recognition lit up the she-cat's gaze. "Fish!"

Fish blinked, and pricked his ears. "F-Flight? I haven't seen you in forever! How've you been? How's Leafclan? How's Moss?" He began to move forward.

Flame hissed at him, bushing out her fur.

Fish stopped abruptly, eyes flicking down to Flame. He flattened his ears, swishing his tail.

"Flame, back down. Fish is an old friend of mine." Flight meowed gently, attempting to calm her down.

Flame glared at Flight. "Gee, real reassuring, am I right?" She spat, dripping with sarcasm.

Hurt flashed across Flight's face. "Flame…."

Flame drew her lips up in a snarl, but stepped aside, tail lashing. "See if I care if he kills you." She growled.

Fish raised an eyebrow, looking over at Flight.

Flight cleared her throat, and looked back over at Fish. "I've been doing well." She responded, putting on a smile.

Fish nodded. "That's good. Uh, by the way, who are these three?" He gestured to Flame, Grass, and Heather, who had followed Flight.

Flight blinked. "Oh! Right, you wouldn't know. Fish, this is Heather, Grass, and Flame. Heather, Grass, Flame, this is Fish. Fish, these are my kits, Heather, Grass, and Flame. Flash isn't here right now, but he's also one of mine. Fish is an old friend of mine. We met way back when, in Leafclan."

Fish smiled at them. "Pleasure to meet you." He dipped his head.

"Would you like to come back to camp with us?" Heather asked, tilting her head.

Fish pricked his ears. "As a matter of fact, I would! It's been so long since I've seen Moss…" He drifted off, seeing their expressions. "What? Did something happen?"

Grass fidgeted his paws. "We… we aren't currently living with the clan."

Fish looked stricken. "W-What? Why not?"

Flight sighed. "It's...it's a long story. How about we go back to camp, and I'll tell you when we get back."

Fish nodded absentmindedly. "Sure…" He ducked behind the bushes behind him, bringing out a robin.

Flame narrowed her eyes at the tom, and lashed her tail. She started to stalk back to camp, annoyance simmering beneath her pelt.


	19. Chapter 16

_**Chapter 16**_

 _ **Moons and moons ago…**_

 _Flight and Hawk sat next to each other, watching the night sky above. The two warriors gazed peacefully at the stars, ease settling over the two of them like a protective, thick blanket._

" _Hawk, do you think anything will happen between us?" Flight asked, not taking her gaze off of the sky._

 _Hawk looked over at his sister, confused. "What do you mean?"_

 _Flight looked down, and shrugged. "I don't know. What if one day we need to fight each other? What if one day you kill me? Or I kill you?"_

 _Hawk stared at his sister in horror. "Flight! How can you ever think of something like that? That will never happen!"_

 _Flight rolled her eyes. "I know it will never happen, but what if it did? Who'd win?"_

 _Hawk flattened his ears. "I don't think I could ever handle having you removed from my life. I'd be completely broken."_

 _Flight glanced over at him teasingly. "Aw, does little kitty Hawk feel down?"_

 _Hawk widened his eyes, then laughed. "Hey! Not fair! I'd really be upset!" He lunged at her, knocking her over._

" _Pfft! Hey! Now look who's really being a kit!" Flight laughed, shoving him off playfully._

 _ **Present Day**_

Heather laid in the den, her gaze transfixed on the grey leaf-bare sky above. She twitched her tail, glancing behind her into the den. Days had passed since Fish started living with them. He seemed upsetted by the fate of Leafclan, but understood Flight's decision to leave. SInce then he's always been helpful with finding what little prey the harsh cold offered them. Heather stretched, and stood up, padding out of the den quietly. In the camp clearing, she quickly spotted Grass and Flight, speaking to each other casually.

Heather flicked her ear, sighing slightly. Often times she wished that she could speak with Flight alone, away from the prying ears of the others.

Fish padded across the camp, heading towards Heather. Heather pricked her ears, confusion in her eyes. "Fish?"

Fish smiled, coming to a stop in front of her. "Hiya. Wanna go on a patrol?"

Heather flicked her tail, glancing behind him, trying to see Flight. She was still talking with her brother, the mood light and informal. "Sure."

They started to head toward the entrance, and were met up by Flame. She flicked an ear. "Where are you two going?" She sounded suspicious.

Heather flattened her ears. "We were just going to do some patrolling."

Flame narrowed her eyes. "Patrolling of what? It's not like we have territory here."

Fish flicked his tail. "You don't need to have territory to patrol. You just take a walk through the forest, assess what's in there." He paused for a moment. "You want to come with us?" He meowed with a smirk.

Flame jerked her head down to the side with a huff. After a few moments, she grudgingly replied, "...Yes…"

Fish twitched an ear. "Let's go then." He padded through the camp's entrance.

Heather glanced over at Flame. She could see that Fish had irritated Flame, due to the slight bristle in her neck fur. Heather frowned briefly. ' _Why is she so sensitive to these small things?'_ Heather thought, watching as the orange she-cat padded through the entrance after Fish. Heather shook her head, and followed after the two of them, probably just overthinking things yet again.

Despite how the patrol started, it actually went pretty well. Aside from Flame's aloofness, of course. Heather found that she was starting to get used to it. Fish took them around the forest, looking out for any dangers. Flame had snapped at Heather when she tried to set a marking.

"You mouse-brain! Why would you even think to do that!?" Flame bristled, thrusting her shoulder into Heather's to push her away.

Heather stared at her, eyes wide in confusion and hurt. "I-I was just…"

"Just what!? Trying to tell our enemies where exactly we are? Have you got cotton for brains?"

"Hey, hey! Let's calm down. Flame, I'm sure Heather didn't mean anything by it. She was only trying to help." Fish intervened, coming in between the sisters.

Flame glared at him, her blue eyes churning with a deep, slow rage that always seemed to be present.

Fish stared back into her eyes, his own light green narrowing.

Heather watched this standoff nervously. After a few moments, she gathered enough courage to pipe up. "F-Fish, i-it's okay. Flame is right. I should've thought more."

Fish looked over at Heather, concern in his gaze. "Are you sure? I don't want any feuds between anyone of us."

Heather nodded, and glanced over at Flame to see her reaction. She was looking away, down at the snow. "Flame? I'm sorry for not thinking." Heather asked cautiously.

Flame lashed her tail, and began to stalk back to camp. "Let's go. I'm getting cold." She growled, her voice betraying nothing.

Heather flattened her ears, glancing down.

Fish glanced over to Flame, then back to Heather. "Might as well follow her. Someone's gotta keep her out of trouble."

Heather nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

As they were heading back, a sudden thought struck Heather. "Leafclan is pretty large…" She murmured.

"What was that?" Fish asked, turning his head. Flame pricked one of her ears.

Heather looked up. "Oh, I said that Leafclan, our clan we had to leave, it's a pretty big group of cats."

Fish nodded, kinda slowly. "Uh-huh. And?"

"Well, it's just that I haven't really seen that much prey. I was wondering if they would have enough to last them through leaf-bare."

"They have a lot of experienced, older cats. Leafclan will be fine." Flame meowed, breaking her unspoken vow of silence.

Heather looked over to her. "Are you sure? Maybe th-"

"Leafclan will be fine." Flame meowed again, this time sounding like the words had to be forced out of her mouth. You could practically hear the effort put behind pushing those words out.

Heather flicked an ear, and glanced back down at her paws.


	20. Chapter 17

_**Chapter 17**_

 _ **Moons and moons ago…**_

 _The crescent moon shone brightly above, stars twinkling through the cloudy night sky. Such a serene sight, in stark contrast to the heated argument happening between the two warriors in the depths of the forest._

 _Flight fluffed out her fur, glaring at Hawk. "What do you mean, you're leaving?!"_

 _Hawk bristled, glaring back with equal intensity. "I mean just that. Why is it such a big deal!?"_

 _Flight stared at him, anger and frustration coursing through her. "Have you lost your mind!? Where will you live? What will you eat? What do you do when you're sick?"_

 _Hawk drew back his lips. "Do you honestly think I'm so mouse-brained as to not think of that? Why can't you see that this is hard for me too?"_

" _Then stay! You don't have any reason to leave!" Flight cried out, becoming more desperate._

" _NO! I have to go! Snow meant the entire world to me, and now she's gone too!" Hawk screeched, fluffing out his black fur._

 _Flight stared at him. "Is this all just about Snow? Have you got thistles for brains!? What about Dream, Daisy, Feather, Mom, Dad, everyone! Me! You're just going to walk away from it all, leave us all behind? If that's the case, then you are a coward! A big, fat coward who can't see reason behind anyt-"_

 _Hawk snarled, and slashed his claws across Flight's cheek. The blow caused her to stumble. Flight looked up at him in shock._

" _Can't you see this is hard for me too? I don't want to leave! But I need to! Can't you understand that!?" Hawk hissed, staring desperately at her, hoping, pleading, begging for her understanding._

 _Flight stared at him for a few more seconds, then slowly straightened up. Staring at her brother coldly, she spoke. "No. No I don't." With that she turned around, and walked back to camp. She never looked back._

 _ **Present Day**_

Flame sat outside the den, watching the snowy clearing. A cough came from inside the den. She flattened her ears, glancing back. Flash was sitting upright in his nest, coughing violently. ' _Enough is enough.'_ Flame thought, and padded over. "Flash. You are sick. Don't say you're fine, you are clearly sick, and need herbs."

Flash gazed at her tiredly. "...Okay." He meowed quietly.

Flame raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected him to give in so easily. Flame nodded, and headed back out of the den. She looked around the camp, and headed toward Heather and Fish, who were sharing a small vole. "Do either of you know what type of herb deals with coughs?"

Heather flattened her ears, looking up. "Oh no, is Flash really sick then?"

Flame twitched an ear.

Heather widened her eyes, looking over at Fish.

Fish flicked his tail. "It took him this long to admit it?"

Flame flattened her ears, not liking that the conversation was straying off topic. "Herbs." She meowed crossly.

Heather blinked. "Oh! Yes, sorry about that Flame. I think Moss mentioned that catmint, tansy, and chickweed helped. But it's unlikely that any herbs in the forest are still usable at this point."

Flame flattened her ears, a stab of fear shooting through her. She glanced around the camp. Grass and Flight were nowhere to be seen, presumably off hunting or patroling. A thought struck Flame. She turned back toward Heather and Fish. "I have an idea."

* * *

A while later, Flame and Fish were padding silently through the snowy forest. Upon hearing the plan, Heather immediately insisted that she stay. Flame agreed. She wouldn't be much use in a fight anyway.

Fish glanced over at Flame. "You really want to do this?"

Flame nodded, determination set in her eyes. It had been moons since they had left the Leafclan, and they were probably a little over halfway into leafbare. Flight had taken it upon herself to teach the four about their powers the best she could, and show them how to execute a few moves. But using her power still took a lot out of her, and made her feel tired after, so she didn't like to use it. Flame and Fish rounded a corner, and crouched down. Flame narrowed her eyes, quietly watching the Leafclan camp. The plan was to run in, grab whatever herbs they could, and run out. They could only hope that they grabbed the right ones.

Fish glanced over to her. "You are insane if you think this will work."

Flame glared at him, bristling slightly.

Fish shook his head, and turned his attention back to the camp.

The camp had only a few cats moving inside it. The prey-pile seemed almost completely empty. From where she was, Flame could see Wolf and Reed laying together. They both looked sickly, Reed more so. Flame watched silently as Moss padded over to them, and gave each of them some dried herbs.

Flame flattened her ears, and took in a breath. She hated to see her clanmates in this state, but family came first. She glanced over to Fish, and gave him a small nod. The two leapt forward, haring down toward the camp. They burst through the camp entrance, generating startled reactions from the cats inside. Yelps and the scrambling of paws filled Flame's ears as she rushed into the medicine cat den, Fish following after.

Dream looked up, startled by the sudden entrance. She flattened her ears. "Who's there?" She hissed.

"No time." Flame replied, heading toward the herbs. She stared at them, not knowing what to take. She narrowed her eyes, and just snatched as many as she could.

Fish did the same, coming up with a mouthful of different plants, and even a couple berries.

Flame nodded at him, and darted out of the den. She started running toward the camp entrance when a force slammed into her, making her skid across the ground, and drop all the herbs she just collected. She looked up, furious.

Frost glared down at her, lashing his tail. "Well well well, what do we have here?"

Flame snarled, and unsheathed her claws.

Frost smirked, and flicked a paw. A dagger of ice shot toward Moss, stopping just in front of her neck. "Ah ah ah. Not too hasty."

Flame growled, but sheathed her claws. She glanced around quickly for Fish, relieved to find him still holding his herbs, and slinking his way through the crowd to the entrance.

Frost watched her, flicking his tail. "Now, what to do with you…"

Flame smirked. "Do whatever. I've already got what I came for." Before Frost could decode what she meant, she spit in his face.

Fury lighted his eyes, and before Flame knew what was happening, ice slammed into the side of her head, and all went black.


	21. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18**_

 _ **Many, many moons earlier...**_

 _Hawk and Flight circled each other, their tails twitching playfully. It was late in the afternoon, and the two kits were play fighting in the Nursery. Blossom didn't want them getting in the way in the clearing of the camp, so the two were confined to the Nursery until further notice._

 _Hawk darted in first, tackling his sister._

 _Flight squealed, and rolled with him, until she was on top, and he was on the bottom. Hawk yelped indignantly, a little upset. He tried to lurch upwards, but Flight quickly and firmly placed her paws on his shoulders, pinning him to the ground. "Ha ha! I win!" She meowed triumphantly, grinning from ear to ear._

 _Hawk flattened his ears. "Yeah yeah. But you won't be winning for long!"_

 _Flight stuck out her tongue. "Yeah I will!"_

 _Hawk smirked. "Nu-uh! Soon imma be real big and strong, and you won't win against me then!"_

 _Flight blew a raspberry._

 _Hawk rolled his eyes. "Can I get up now?"_

 _Flight let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Fiiiinnneee." She grudgingly stepped off of her brother, flicking her tail. "But I still won."_

 _Hawk sprung up. "Okay, you may have won this one." He grinned. "But you won't beat me to the prey-pile!" With that he ran off toward the prey-pile._

" _Hey! No fair!" Flight squeaked, racing after him._

 _ **Present Day**_

Heather laid in the camp. Flash coughed in the den, and she winced, glancing over with pity. She hoped that Flame and Fish would come back soon. The tan she-cat studied the snow on the ground, thinking. Over the past weeks, Flight had encouraged them to train in fighting with their powers. Heather hadn't seen her use her own that much, except for that one time. She flattened her ears slightly, thinking on it. She still didn't like how rude Flame had been. But she did have to admit that it was a lot quicker than any other option.

A rustle outside the camp made her look up. They still hadn't perfected a guard system, so quick reflexes were needed in all of them to make them feel somewhat safer. But it still startled her when Fish darted into camp, knocking into her. She let out a yelp, falling over. The herbs that Fish was carrying spilled out of his mouth, onto the snow.

Heather stared up at him with wide amber eyes, wondering what in the stars name was going on. "F-Fish?"

Flight and Grass padded into camp from a hunting trip. Grass was carrying a vole, and that was it. Flight widened her eyes, seeing Fish. She hurried over to him. "Fish? What's wrong? Where'd you get those herbs?!"

Fish moved off of Heather, and sat up, panting a little still. He took in a deep breath, and raised his head, looking into Flight's eyes. "Flash is sick. He needed herbs. Flame and I went to Leafclan to get herbs. Flame… Flame got captured."

Flight stared at him, and took a step back. Her eyes were wide, and Heather could see that she was slightly trembling, likely not due to the cold. "N-No… I-How!? When!? Why didn't you tell me!?" She cried out in despair, tail bushing out. "We have to go rescue her!"

Heather flattened her ears, looking down. ' _Flame was captured!? But how!?'_

Grass stared at them all for a moment, then closed his eyes. He opened them and stepped forward. "Mom, calm down. It'll be okay. If Flame wasn't killed immediately, then they must want her alive for a reason. Let's focus on the present, and what we can do right now. We can't rescue Flame just yet. But we can help Flash." He turned to Fish. "What herbs did you say that you retrieved again?"

Fish shook his head, looking down at the herbs. "I..I don't know. I just grabbed the first ones I saw."

Grass flicked his tail. "Here, let me look." He padded over to the herbs, and bent down, sniffing at them. He glanced up at Heather. "What does Flash have?"

Heather blinked. "Uh... I think it sounds like greencough…"  
Flight drew in a quick breath.

Grass nodded, and looked back at the herbs. Disappointment came into his eyes as he straightened up. "Well, if it's greencough, then we need catmint, or chickweed."

Heather pricked her ears. "Did Fish get that?"

Grass shook his head. "It's just borage, chamomile, tansy and yarrow. Nothing for greencough."

Heather stared at him. "You've got to be kidding…." When Grass didn't respond she looked around. "Well, where does catmint grow? Maybe we can find some."

Flight suddenly raised her head. "Oh! I remember. Catmint grows best in Twolegplace."

Fish stared at her. " _Twolegplace_?! Why couldn't it grow somewhere more convenient!?"

Flight shrugged. "I don't choose where herbs grow."

Heather shook her head. "Alright, alright. Um, so should we go to Twolegplace tomorrow?"

Flight sighed, looking up at the sky. It was almost early evening. She looked over to the den, Flash coughing inside. "Okay. But we can't sleep with Flash, alright?"  
Grass blinked, looking over. "What? Why not?"

Flight flattened her ears. "I don't want you all getting sick too."

Fish sighed. "I'll start making the den." He padded over to the camp wall. Grass stood up, and went to help him.

Heather watched them for a moment.

Flight stood up too, and padded over to the toms. "It'll go faster if we all help." She suggested to Heather.

Heather made a small nod, and went over to help as well.


End file.
